Should the NFL Require All Teams to Bubble Up? – The NFL has a problem. Members of teams are not remaining Covid-19 free and consequently, games are already being moved. The only answer appears to be to put all teams in hotels for the next three months – a bubble – and expect players to play games while being sequestered. The alternatives seem to be untenable.
Season on the Brink
With teams like the Tennessee Titans already having so many players diagnosed with the Covid, their game with the Steelers had been rescheduled to Week 7, which also required the Steelers game be rescheduled with the Baltimore Ravens that week, until the next week. Now, what happens if the Titans or the Steelers have an outbreak? The league is on the brink of a league wide shut down… if they don’t come up with a plan for what’s next. That’s where a Team by Team Bubble could work.
Assign Missed Games as Losses
One solution might be to assign a Loss to any team that can not meet their obligation to provide a healthy and safe team by game time. Now, if more than one team has an outbreak (3 or more players) then it happens more than once, how fair is it to all the players on that team who did not contract the Covid-19? At some point, handing out losses becomes counterproductive and does more harm to an organization than good for the league. The positive tests of a few begin to bring the whole ship of each organization down. Can you imagine if that were to happen to the Chiefs… because of three players? What if the Chiefs miss out on a Playoff Bye because of a few positive tests… or if they miss out on the playoffs altogether because of a few diagnosed players? Also, how would it be fair to the Chiefs, if the Bills (the Titans next opponent) were to be handed a W in the win column as the result of a Titans forfeit, thus sending their record to 5-and-0, while the Chiefs have to actually play a game to achieve a 5-and-0 record?
Incubation and the Communicable
The incubation time for diagnosing Covid-19 is days. Days, not hours. Some have the point of view that Covid-19 will likely not be fatal for healthy NFL players so why make this an issue. The answer has to do with the incubation period and the fact that it is a highly communicable disease. If the NFL just ignores the spread of Covid-19 and goes forward with their games they not only risk having each game become a “spreader event” which could in turn spread it to those who are highly susceptible to the incurable outcomes of Covid-19, but it could also change the face of the league. Could you imagine the Super Bowl featuring two backup-backup QBs as starters?
Stephon Gilmore and Patrick Mahomes
By the looks of things, Stephon Gilmore and Patrick Mahomes were so close to each other after the game on Monday evening, they nearly kissed. Now, if PMII comes down with the Covid-19, who is to blame? The players? The teams? The League? I say, it’s the league’s responsibility to provide a safe work environment for their players. If PMII does come down with the Covid-19 and he’s out for however long, there are too many questions that this raises to even think about.
What a Covid-19 Explosion is Already Doing
Don’t be fooled into thinking that the Covid-19 isn’t already having a dramatic effect on some teams. You only need look at what’s happening with the Tennessee Titans:
20 cases? Twenty? Now, any teams asked to play the Titans have to resolve themselves to the idea that they are going to be exposed. The Bills, Texans, Steelers and Bengals are their next four opponents. The Patriots, who had their star QB Cam Newton, out for the game with the Chiefs, flew to K.C. on two separate planes: one for those who had not come into contact with Newton, and one for those who had. What happens if a sizable percentage of those players who had contact with Newton come down with the Covid? Then, what does that mean for those who played in the game, with and against, the Patriots? BTW, Gilmore was on the plane with those who had contact with Newton, so the Patriots have their own questions to answer. BTW… they are not practicing today as a result.
No Swapping Jerseys: An Outlier?
The NFL already knew prior to this season, that Covid-19 could be problematic when they banned the post game exchange of jerseys. Obviously, the owners don’t want to give up the TV revenue involved with canceling games. So, they knew what they were up against, but up until now they haven’t had a plan in place if things go south? I should say, they still don’t have a plan in place.
The 14 Game Season Alternative
It could be a scheduling nightmare to reschedule the rest of the season giving each team two Bye Weeks during the regular season. However, this appears to be the easiest alternative to placing all players in a bubble. The biggest disadvantage, for the owners, is that they must accept only seven home games and the revenue lost that comes as a result. Even if they go this route, they’d be hedging their bets that the Covid doesn’t move (or steal) any more games away than it already has.
Beyond Fans in the Stands
The league risks losing more fans than they may have already lost by continuing down this path — seemingly a path of destruction — that they are on. Fans want to know what to expect and they want to know who is on their team and they want to know exactly when games will take place. I received a number of negative comments about the Chiefs game being moved from Sunday to Monday. Beyond the “normal” fan who likes to watch their Super Bowl Champion Chiefs, there are millions of Fantasy Football fans who count on games taking place each week, and the league risks throwing all those Fantasy League players into the abyss. Not that I care about Fantasy Football, but there are so many NFL fans who do… any changes in scheduling will impact even more fans.
Bubble Up NFL, Bubble Up
As much as I don’t like the idea, I can only see one way for the NFL to make it through this very difficult situation: Bubble Up. Each team would need to sequester all players (and their families… if they choose to go along for the ride) in a hotel with no outside contact. The only reason I support such a move is, I want to see this NFL season take place, like most fans… and… I don’t want to see the NFL owners fail.
What’s your take? Do you think the NFL can still make this season happen by continuing down the path they’re on?
Laddie Morse — ArrowheadOne
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